Traffic Alert

SATURDAY EXPO, WINGS EVENT CENTER

PORTAGE ROAD EXITS

1) Taking I-94 Eastbound: Take Exit 78 Portage, turn left on Portage Road. This puts you on Kilgore. Take Kilgore 1.5 miles until Sprinkle road. From there take a left, travel for 0.7 miles and turn left on Vanrick Drive, which will take you to the parking lot of Wings Event Center.

2) Taking I-94 Westbound: Take Exit 81, and go south at Sprinkle Road.

SUNDAY RACE-DAY, NAZARETH CAMPUS

I-94 BUSINESS LOOP (WEST-BOUND ONLY!)

Take Exit 81 and turn right on Sprinkle Road. Go to Gull Road, turn left and go less than a mile to the race site.

Getting Around Town!

I-94 EAST BOUND

FROM THE WEST, go through downtown, take Michigan to Riverview to Gull Road. You can use shuttle buses just beyond Borgess Medical Center, 1521 Gull Road, at the Borgess Heart Institute (1722 Shaffer). Or proceed to the campus to park.

ON U.S. 131 beware that Stadium Drive is severely limited. Consider West Main (M-43) which runs into Michigan Avenue. Take Michigan Avenue to Riverview to Gull Road.

The courses of the Borgess Run for the Health of It weave through downtown, WMU’s campus, neighborhoods and parks. Advance planning for motorists who will be out and about on Sunday, May 8 could help avoid some delays.

All affected streets and intersections are in the City of Kalamazoo, the Township of Kalamazoo and the City of Parchment. All have been approved by those governmental units after review.

Closures

The Kalamazoo Mall – The Kalamazoo Mall will be closed for about an hour and a half after the first race begins at 8 a.m.

Parkview – Parkview will be closed between Drake Road and the entrance to Parkview Hills.

Where to Avoid if Possible

The Starting/Finish Line – The start and finish line for all May 8 events is at the Nazareth campus on Gull Road. Traffic both ways will be available, but restricted.

Mills Street – Runners will be on the west side of Mills Street, so Northbound Mills Street will be open, including at Kings Highway.

Bronson Blvd. (north of Whites) – Runners take up one of the two lanes, so police will be intermittently passing cars along this road.

Getting Through:

Best to stay to the outside of the course (G Avenue to the North, Crosstown Parkway on the South, Nazareth on the East. The west side has fewer runners and there are ways in and out of the course that include:

Howard Street – Because runners go over the bridge on Howard, traffic is accessible on Howard.

The Inkster Bridge – Runners head under the Inkster bridge on Bronson, so this bridge takes you from outside the course into the middle of it.

Getting On And Off The Race Site

Timing is everything when it comes to arrival at the race site. You should be on the grounds by 7:30 a.m., as Gull Road closes temporarily at 8 a.m. for the start of the marathon. And the site is basically closed for the next hour as races begin.

After 9 a.m., motorists may enter and exit the race site only by the northeast entrance to the Nazareth property.